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The Lockerbie bombing was ordered by Iran and carried out by a Syrian-based terrorist group, a former Iranian intelligence officer has admitted. Abolghassem Mesbahi, a defector to Germany, said Pan Am flight 103 was downed in 1988 in retaliation for a US Navy strike on an Iranian commercial jet six months earlier, in which 290 people died. He claims the Ayatollah Khomeini, who was Iran’s Supreme Leader, ordered the bombing “to copy exactly what happened to the Iranian Airbus”. …

Vacationing in Florida, President Barack Obama continued his telephone consultations with world leaders on Ukraine, speaking one on one Saturday with the leaders of three European powers and collectively with the heads of the three Baltic states, White House said. Obama held individual conversations with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and French President Francois Hollande. He also held a conference call with Latvian President Andris Berzins, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. On the conference call, Obama reaffirmed the United States' "unwavering commitment" to its collective defense commitments under NATO and...

A stun gun disguised as a mobile phone has been seized from a 14-year-old boy in Manchester. Police said the weapon, which looks like a black iPhone and emits a strong electric shock, was found when the boy was searched. An officer suffered a shock as he examined it, but was not seriously hurt. A knife was also seized during the search, prompted after reports four teenagers were racially abusing a bus driver in Portland Street. …

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said on the weekend he disagreed with the call of the incoming president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), John Blackwell, to ban shechita (Jewish ritual slaughter) and Islamic halal slaughter. Clegg said, according to the BBC, that stopping this type of slaughter would “remove the right of Jewish communities in this country, Muslim communities in this country, to stick to their religious beliefs about how they prepare food and how animals are slaughtered.” The Jewish Chronicle quoted Clegg as having said that “no government of which I’m part” would ban shechita. …

School students should be given a “European Union education” in the classroom to tackle “ignorance” and growing public Euro-skepticism, according to an election manifesto signed by Angela Merkel and eight other of Europe's leaders. The European People’s Party (EPP), the EU’s biggest political grouping, is convinced such a program would improve the public image of Brussels, which has never been lower. Its manifesto for May’s European elections calls for the introduction of “EU education in schools across Europe in order to prepare the next generation for future challenges and to nurture a European approach”. […] Rather than scaling back the...

An alleged plot to oust some Birmingham head teachers and make their schools adhere to more Islamic principles is being investigated, it has emerged. A letter detailing the plan, known as "Operation Trojan Horse", claims responsibility for leadership changes at four schools. These schools are Adderley Primary, Saltley School, Park View School and Regents Park Community Primary School. Saltley's head teacher resigned last year after a critical Ofsted report. Inspectors said there was a "dysfunctional" relationship between head teacher Balwant Bains and governors which was hindering the school. The letter, which purports to outline "Operation Trojan Horse", has subsequently been sent to...

Muslim fundamentalists are plotting to take over state schools, according to leaked documents. Activists have launched a campaign to oust headteachers using dirty tricks such as spreading false allegations and packing governing bodies with their supporters. The plot, which ringleaders have named Operation Trojan Horse, has emerged in documents drawn up by the group and leaked to a local newspaper. The dossier names several schools in the Birmingham area as targets of alleged plots. The authors of the documents discuss extending the ‘jihad’ operation to Bradford and Manchester – cities with rapidly growing Muslim populations.

Islamic fundamentalists are allegedly plotting to convert Birmingham schools so that children are taught according to strict Islamic codes by ousting teachers through a dirty tricks campaign and replacing them with radicals. The city council and the Birmingham Mail have received documents which purport to show that jihadists – or those fighting against non-Muslims - are targeting schools and orchestrating false allegations against staff, including non-Muslims, in an operation dubbed Trojan Horse. Meanwhile, West Midlands Police have reopened a fraud investigation at one school named in the supposed leaked letter - and Ofsted is currently conducting a snap inspection at...

A soldier from 32 Engineer Regiment has died in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence confirmed tonight - the first British soldier to die in the country in 2014. The solider, described by his commanding office as a "rising star", died as a result of non-battle related injuries sustained in Camp Bastion. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Davies said: "The tragic death of this committed and professional sapper has hit the Task Force Helmand Engineer Group hard; the Corps has lost a rising star, and his squadron has lost a respected comrade and friend. "At this most difficult time, our thoughts and prayers...

Free-trade talks between the United States and the European Union are in danger of being derailed by populist groups opposing everything from globalization to multinationals, EU ministers and business leaders said on Friday. The rise of anti-EU parties, reports of U.S. spying in Europe and accusations that a trade pact would pander to big companies have combined to erode public support for a deal that proponents say would dramatically increase economic growth. "We have an uphill battle to make the argument that this EU-U.S. free-trade agreement is a good one," he said in remarks that were broadcast to reporters.

The nation’s top military commander painted a dark picture Tuesday of future U.S. defense capabilities clouded by shrinking Pentagon budgets and adversaries’ technological advances that he said would erode American battlefield superiority. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided his sobering views as part of the Quadrennial Defense Review, a congressionally mandated evaluation of U.S. military strength issued every four years. Dempsey predicted that it would become increasingly difficult to balance the competing demands of protecting allies abroad, securing Americans at home and deterring future wars. “The smaller and less capable military outlined in...

The daily allowance for a person's sugar intake should be halved to six teaspoons, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. Draft guidance published by the international body advises a dramatic reduction in sugar consumption to help avoid mounting health problems including obesity and tooth decay. The WHO is proposing to retain its current formal recommendation that no more than 10 per cent of an individual's calories should come from sugar – the equivalent of 12 "level" teaspoons a day for the average adult. However, its draft guidelines state that a further reduction to 5 per cent "would have additional...

A study found led by the University of Oxford found that white people develop ‘passive tolerance’ of minorities in mixed areas It said even highly prejudiced people who did not mix with those of different ethnicities became more tolerant the longer they lived in mixed areas Scientists said that governments could create more ‘harmonious neighbourhoods’ by doing more to encourage different ethnic groups to mix The area you live in can have a huge effect on your education and outlook. And now researchers believe people can be made less racist by simply moving to live in ethnically-mixed areas. An international...

Police asking for the public to identify an armed robber whose face was completely concealed aren’t treating him as a suspect in case it breaches his human rights. The man pulled down a black woolen beanie hat over his face so it was completely hidden before raiding a Labdrokes betting shop in West Moors, Dorset. Although nothing whatsoever can be seen of his face, optimistic police are asking people to help identify the seemingly unrecognizable man in CCTV images. …

Polish news site Thenews.pl is reporting that President Obama in a telephone call on Sunday to Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski “assured him ‘unequivocally as to Poland’s security, knowing that Poland is not only a neighbor of Ukraine but Russia as well.’ Speaking Monday after a meeting of Poland’s Nations Security Council – with Poland’s Defense Minister, Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and opposition party leaders in attendance - Komorowski informed the media that he had directed Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to “request NATO consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s founding treaty.” Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty that was...

Film star Sean Connery is urging fellow Scots to vote for independence when a referendum is held in September. The longtime independence advocate says in The Sun on Sunday newspaper that the opportunity to separate from the rest of Britain is too good an opportunity to miss. He says independence would galvanize the film and creative industries, creating new jobs in Scotland. Connery no longer lives there and said the decision should be made by the people who choose to live and work in Scotland. He said a vote for independence would bring renewed focus on Scottish culture, heritage and...

The government will not curb trade with Russia or close London's financial centre to Russians as part of any possible package of sanctions against Moscow, according to an official document. The document, which was photographed as a senior official carried it into a meeting in Downing Street, says that "the UK should not support for now trade sanctions or close London's financial centre to Russians", while it confirms that ministers ARE considering - along with other EU countries - visa restrictions and travel bans on key Russian figures. It also says that ministers should "discourage any discussion (eg at Nato)...

Film star Sean Connery is urging fellow Scots to vote for independence when a referendum is held in September. The longtime independence advocate says in The Sun on Sunday newspaper that the opportunity to separate from the rest of Britain is too good an opportunity to miss. He says independence would galvanize the film and creative industries, creating new jobs in Scotland. Connery no longer lives there and said the decision should be made by the people who choose to live and work in Scotland.

Passport control officials have been criticised by Tory MPs for "waving through" a woman without asking her to remove her full-faced veil. Philip Davies told the Commons he witnessed the scene at Heathrow Airport as a woman underwent checks to enter the UK after flying in from Saudi Arabia. He insisted all women wearing a "full Islamic veil" should have to compulsorily remove it so they can be identified by immigration officials. ... Men are also increasingly dressing up as Islamic women in burkas to commit crimes, Mr Hollobone claimed. Terror suspect Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed went missing last November after...

​Marine innovation engineering department at Rolls-Royce has presented a draft design of an ocean-going robo-vessel that could enter service within a decade. Experts remain highly skeptical that computers could replace human instincts anytime soon. Rolls-Royce (RR/) Holdings Plc, which started designing autonomous cargo vessels in 2013, have presented in Bloomberg original computer design of crewless cargo ships. The vessels have a distinct difference from all modern ships: they lack any deck housing whatsoever. "The idea of a remote-controlled ship is not new, it has been around for decades, but the difference is the technology now exists,” announced Oskar Levander, head...

The recent violence and political upheaval in Syria put the spotlight on the strong alliance the Assad government has with the Islamic Republic of Iran. No sooner than protesters threatened to topple the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, did Iran step up its defense of its Syrian ally both in words and in actions. This left many observers to wonder why Iran reacted so strongly to the possibility of Assad's demise, when it has not done so during the downfall of Gaddafi or Mubarak in Libya and Egypt. To understand why, and to determine the best course of action for the...

Ed Miliband is personally to blame for the crisis in Ukraine, senior Conservatives claimed last night. Allies to David Cameron and George Osborne made the extraordinary claim after Russian president Vladimir Putin authorised military action within the country. There is a "Direct link between Miliband's cynical vote against Syria motion & Russia's actions on Ukraine," Treasury minister and close aide to the chancellor, Sajid Javid tweeted, adding that this made the Labour leader "Completely unfit to lead Britain". He was joined by planning minister and close ally to the prime minister, Nick Boles who said that Miliband's "weakness" had caused...

When an army is engaged in war at a considerable distance from the frontiers of its own country, and, consequently, from the base of operations on which it must chiefly rely for stores and reinforcements, it is a fundamental principle of military administration to prepare and keep up, as it were, in an unbroken stream, those supplies on which the efficiency of the army depends. The troops actually in presence of the enemy form but a part, and sometimes a small part, of the force to be included in the whole estimate of the campaign. They are the head of...

Nigel Farage yesterday said he felt “awkward” when he could hear no English being spoken while on a train from London to Kent. The UKIP leader described how he was on his way home when he went several stops without hearing his native tongue. His comments followed a provocative speech in which he claimed some areas of Britain are being “taken over” by migrants, while others have become “frankly unrecognizable”. They came a day after figures showed a significant rise in net migration. …

For the next several months, Washington won’t be seeing as much of President Barack Obama as usual. In February, March and April, the president is traveling to nine countries: Mexico, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. His trip to Mexico is next week. He is heading to Europe in March and Asia in April. On Friday, Mr. Obama is traveling to California to visit the drought-stricken Central Valley and meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at Sunnylands, the Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage. The president’s domestic travels are expected to pick up as the midterm...

The Anti-Defamation League, one of the US's most powerful Jewish organizations known for its advocacy on behalf of Israel, criticized Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday for comments he made in Munich regarding the negative consequences that Israel can expect if efforts to achieve a two-state solution break down. In a letter to Kerry, ADL chief Abe Foxman said that while he appreciated Kerry's efforts to move the peace process forward, the remarks about Israel's likely ostracism in the event that no deal is reached will only spur the pro-boycott elements and the Palestinians to become further entrenched in...

Drum Major Michael McLaughlin leads the regiment on Armed Forces Day They have marched into the heat of battle and brought tears to eyes at some of the most dramatic moments of world history. Now the Pipes and Drums of The Black Watch 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, will play at The Black Watch Castle and Museum in Perth for one night only on Tuesday May 13. The band is keen to support the heritage of The Black Watch and all funds raised from the concert will be in aid of the conservation and exhibition of the...

Black mob violence is ruining their business, say the owners of a popular nightclub. Just like it ruined the businesses of 15 other nearby night spots which recently closed. Except this is not in America. These hot spots are in London. This declaration of racial violence came from the owners and managers of the Fridge Club, an iconic three-story venue where as many 300 people can be found staying up all night to dance, drink and often use drugs. But lately violence is ruining the buzz: “The absolute majority of people who have disrupted these venues are black men and...

Mass immigration has left Britain an "unrecognisable" country that many people would not want to leave to their children and grandchildren, Nigel Farage has said. In one of his strongest attacks on immigration policy, he said the arrival of migrants has some British people feeling that parts of the country are now alien to them. The UK Independence Party leader said parts of the country had been "taken over" by foreigners and told how he caught a recent commuter train from London to Kent and had to wait for several stops before he heard English being spoken.

Citing a radical United Nations treaty known as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), lawmakers in Scotland approved a deeply controversial new law assigning an individual government overseer to each and every child in the country charged with monitoring their development. However, the draconian measure, which has sparked criticism and outrage around the world as a brazen assault on parental rights and privacy, is already in the process of being challenged in court. Outside of Scotland, concerns have been especially widespread in the United States, where parental-rights advocates are warning about an accelerating worldwide attack on...

Remarks made by Iranian foreign minister signal Tehran won't agree to dismantle atomic facilities in talks with world powers on final settlement of decade-old dispute over its nuclear activity.By ReutersNEW DELHI - Iran is willing to address international concerns about its atomic activities but will keep its nuclear program "intact", not close it down, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday. His remarks signaled that Tehran will not agree to dismantle any of its atomic facilities in talks with six world powers on a final settlement of the decade-old dispute over its nuclear activity. Related: Those negotiations got under...

A British man accused of hacking into U.S. government computer networks was charged in a new indictment unsealed Thursday with infiltrating the Federal Reserve’s computers. Lauri Love, 28, of Stradishall, England, was charged with computer hacking and aggravated identity theft, which carry a potential penalty of up to 12 years in prison. He initially was arrested in Great Britain in October and released on bail after he was charged under a United Kingdom law that permits the arrest of anyone who starts attacks from the U.K. on computers anywhere in the world. …

This week, CNN's Piers Morgan announced that "Piers Morgan Live" would be coming to an ignominious end sometime in March. His replacement has not yet been chosen. But his television demise came not a moment too soon for millions of Americans who had tired of his sneering nastiness. The New York Times chose not to see it that way. Instead, the Times insisted, Morgan's problem sprang from his British accent and heritage: "Old hands in the television news business suggest that there are two things a presenter cannot have: an accent or a beard ... Mr. Morgan is clean shaven...

SNIPPET: "Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg is among four people who have been arrested on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences, police have said. Mr Begg, 45, who was held by the US authorities for almost three years, was arrested earlier with two other men and a woman in the West Midlands. He was detained on suspicion of attending a terrorist training camp and facilitating terrorism overseas." SNIPPET: "Mr Begg was arrested in Hall Green in Birmingham. The other people arrested - a 36-year-old man from Shirley, a 44-year-old woman and her son, 20, both from Sparkhill - are being...

Some people realized he only needed to be as rude as he was to me if he was wrong.Sunday’s announcement that Piers Morgan had lost his show at CNN was hardly unexpected. The ratings for the coveted 9 p.m. time slot were abysmal, dropping last week to just 270,000 viewers — about one-eighth of what Fox News’s Megyn Kelly got in the same time slot. Some, such as Variety magazine, have speculated that the low ratings are due to Morgan’s single-minded push for gun control. That might have something to do with it, but much more is going on. In...

This is the shocking moment a pedestrian was killed by a single punch after he got into a row about cycling on the pavement. Andrew Young, 40, became involved in an argument with cyclist Victor Ibitoye after he told him that cycling on the pavement was dangerous. The cyclist rode off but moments later his friend, Lewis Gill, approached Mr Young, who suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome, and punched him in the face without provocation.

Napoleon famously said that 'an army marches on its stomach', but who knew that soldiers from across the world would be powered by such a diverse range of foodstuffs including Tabasco sauce for the British and a shot of alcohol for the Italian troops? Operational ration packs including canned, freeze-dried or pre-cooked food are dished out to many servicemen and women on the front line, providing enough food to get them through 24 hours and millions of pounds have been spent on making them as appetising as possible, with gadgets including heaters to warm the meals also included in the...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)With CNN president Jeffrey Zucker planning to "pull the plug" on Piers Morgan Live, " Morgan admits his anti-gun rants divided and alienated viewers. According to The New York Times, Zucker has been watching Morgan's show hit new ratings lows and is ready to go a different way with the 9 p.m. slot. Morgan spoke to the coming end by admitting he's "been taking a bath in the ratings." He added: "Look, I'm a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who...

The extraordinary wartime service of one of Britain's greatest ever fighter aces has come to light, as his haul of wartime medals is set to go under the hammer. Squadron leader Billy Drake downed at least 23 enemy planes in a career which saw the 'outstanding' WWII pilot decorated with ten medals and a bar group which includes both the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the US Distinguish Flying Cross (DFC) for his skill in air combat. The medal collection from his military service - which saw him serve in the battle of France, the battle of Britain, North Africa,...

Argentina is preparing for a war either against Britain or Argentines. No one is sure as the country acquires military hardware that includes, jet fighters, anti-aircraft guns and specialized radar. The news came late Saturday night, just a few months before oil drilling begins in the Falkland Islands area. Besieged by runaway inflation, corruption and inefficiency in government as well as being impotent to stop rampant crime, Argentina’s failing President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, seems to be taking a page from history’s playbook. In January she created a new cabinet position, Secretary for the Malvinas, Argentina’s name for the Falklands....

Abstract Abortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus' health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled. Previous SectionNext Section Introduction Severe abnormalities of the fetus...

The UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) – which is noted for its support for Hezbollah – yesterday announced the winner of their risible 'Islamophobe of the Year' prize. The winner was none other than our own Managing Editor, Raheem Kassam!

More than 34 million patients will fail to get an appointment with their GP this year, according to figures seen by Sky News. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) used official NHS statistics to estimate the number of patients who will be unable to see a GP or practice nurse because surgeries are too busy.

Television pictures of revolutions can make them seem like a spectator sport. Having Vitali Klitschko, the world heavyweight boxing champion, playing a starring role in the events in Kiev reinforces that impression. But the implosion of the Ukrainian state in the last 48 hours is a political earthquake. Chaos in Kiev could set off a tsunami that will toss Western Europe from its moorings too. It is a mistake to think we are watching from a safe distance. Maybe Ukraine is as foreign to the British people today as it was when an obscure crisis on its southern coast in...

- FrontPage Magazine - http://www.frontpagemag.com - The Douala-Djibouti CorridorPosted By Jerome Vitenberg On February 6, 2014 @ 12:15 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 1 Comment The current French involvement in the Central African Republic, which follows in the footsteps of its ongoing “Operation Serval” in Mali, has led many to wonder about President Francois Hollande’s goals in his African campaigns.In recent months, the CAR’s ex-Séléka Muslim rebel fighters, bolstered by Sudanese and Chadian mercenaries, have waged a campaign of murder, rape and pillage against the country’s 80% Christian-majority population. With the government in disarray, Christians have organized defensive “anti-balaka” (“anti-machete”)...

Jihadists have released a video of a British fighter who carried out a suicide attack in a recent assault on an Aleppo prison conducted by the Al Nusrah Front and the Army of the Caliphate. Abdul Waheed Majeed, the British suicide bomber, is seen just before he rams an up-armored dump truck into the prison. A decade before traveling to Syria to wage jihad for the Al Nusrah Front, Majeed was a student of Omar Bakri Muhammad, the radical jihadist cleric who once wrote statements for Osama bin Laden and who formed al-Muhajiroun, which has been banned in England for...

Handing out his awards for "sustainability" at Buckingham Palace the other day, the Prince of Wales made a few remarks about "climate change" and attacked "powerful groups of deniers" as a "headless-chicken brigade" ignoring the scientific evidence. It's pretty funny to be called a "headless chicken" by a guy who runs around saying the sky is falling. In 2009 His Royal Highness gave a speech saying we had only 96 months left to save the planet. Ninety-six months? That would be July 2017 — which is only three and a half years off. On the other hand, it's almost twice...

Men are to be banned from becoming Queen or Princess of Wales as part of an unprecedented effort to rewrite more than 700 years of law to prevent unintended consequences of gay marriage. Even a 14th Century act declaring it high treason to have an affair with the monarch’s husband or wife is included in the sweeping redrafting exercise. Civil servants have drawn up a list of scores of statutes and regulations dating back as far 1285 to be amended or specifically excluded when the Government’s Same-Sex Marriage Act comes into force next month. Under proposals to be debated by...

Teenage girl victim of grooming gang 'raped by 30 men in just six hours including father and schoolboy son' A teenage girl was groomed and raped by up to 30 Asian men - including a father and his schoolboy son - during an horrific sex attack lasting six hours, an inquiry heard. Campaigner Shaista Gohir MBE detailed abuse of the young vulnerable Asian girl in a shocking report highlighting how rife grooming was within ethnic communities. She claimed that sexual exploitation and grooming of young Asian girls by men of the same ethnic origins was happening under the noses of...

Nigel Farage and Deputy Prime Minister Represent Opposite Ends of In/Out Argument LONDON— Nigel Farage, the leader of the small United Kingdom Independence Party, on Friday accepted a challenge from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to debate Britain's membership of the European Union, paving the way for the most ardent advocates of each side of the in/out argument to lock horns. Britain's future in the EU has become an increasingly open question after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged that if he wins a second term next year he will renegotiate Britain's ties with the bloc and then hold a national...